In White Privilege news, District Judge Richard Scotti of Las Vegas, Nevada ordered a Bayzle Morgan, a 24 year old Neo Nazi, to cover up his Nazi tattoos so he could have a chance at a fair trial. Judge Scotti also delayed the trial for half an hour so a courtroom cosmetologist could reapply Morgan’s makeup when it started to fade.
“The goal is to make sure we can get a jury to at least give him a fair trial,” said Morgan’s Defense Attorney Dan Bunin.
Morgan is accused of stealing a man’s motorcycle at gunpoint back in May 2013. Back in June, a panel of potential jurors for Morgan’s robbery trial were interviewed one by one. The jurors were all dismissed after they told Judge Scotti they would not be able to give Morgan a fair trial because his Nazi face tattoos said a lot about his character, and because of this, they would judge Morgan unfairly.
“If it’s a certain kind of tattoo, in a certain spot, it signifies something more,” one juror said before being dismissed from the jury panel.
“And that automatically to me means somebody at one time did something inappropriate, or did something that was not acceptable to society, and therefore has been outcast into a particular group of people, whether they’re a gang or a mob.”
Morgan’s visible tattoos cover his face, neck, and hands, and includes the words “Baby Nazi”, a teardrop, a swastika, and an Iron Cross. The Iron Cross is the symbol of the 19th century German military, now used by Nazi members… and we know what the “teardrop” means.
“How is this man supposed to get a fair trial if everybody comes in here and thinks they might be influenced by the tattoos?”, asked Judge Scotti.
One potential juror reported feeling “nervous” and “shaky” last month after seeing Morgan’s teardrop tattoo, while another told the judge that Morgan’s tattoos “could be indicative of previous criminal acts.” Others said the tattoos gave them a “negative feeling” or a preconceived notion about Morgan’s guilt.
By law, jurors are supposed to consider only the facts of the case, not a defendant’s appearance.
Prosecutors asked that Morgan’s tattoos be hidden from the next panel of jurors. Yes, prosecutors, as in the public officials who sit on the opposite side of Morgan, preparing to prove him guilty of a crime, asked to cover Morgan’s tats. They, along with prison guards and court marshals watched for 2 hours as a courtroom cosmetologist came in and covered Morgan’s tats.
Judge Scotti walked in. “It looks good,” he said.
The makeup artist then washed the makeup off and Morgan returned to Clark County Detention Center for the weekend. The court ultimately decided Morgan’s makeup will be applied each court date a few hours prior to beginning the trial, and washed off before going back to the detention center. On Monday, the judge allowed a courtroom cosmetologist to cover Morgan’s tattoos again before jurors arrived. When the makeup began to wear off, the judge delayed the trail for 30 minutes and dismissed the jury so Morgan’s makeup could be reapplied. The makeup artist also advised Morgan to wear brown shirts, instead of white, to avoid makeup stains.
Morgan will also appear back in court next month for a separate murder trial for the death of 75 year old Jean Main. According to the Las Vegas Review Journal,
Prosecutors said Morgan broke into the victim’s home in the 8000 block of Green Pasture Avenue, pistol-whipped her over the head so hard that the trigger guard broke into pieces, and then shot her in the back of the head. Jean’s boyfriend found her face-down in a first-floor bathroom.
Morgan then fled the scene with 49 year old getaway driver Kevin Smith, stealing a suitcase full of items from Main’s home, including a laptop, a Kindle Fire, a purse with $800 and keys to a Cadillac Escalade, says the Las Vegas Review Journal. After police recovered the stolen items, Morgan was sent back to jail for a firearm conviction. He also faces additional charges of kidnapping, burglary, and robbery from that case. Back in 2010, Morgan also served time as a teenager for possession of a stolen vehicle.
Morgan faces the death penalty for the capital murder trial involving Jean Main’s death. Imagine if they interviewed jurors and asked if race/ethnicity would be a determining factor of unjust sentencing?
